Cats in motorhomes

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JudyBKM

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 25, 2005
Posts
87
Location
Albany, NY
Previously from Irv Siegel:
The cats love the motorhome!  One of them likes to sit on top of the dash and watch the view as we're driving down the highway.
The ongoing dilemma: Cats in a carrier or free to roam the motorhome?

Also -- For those of you with cats who have not been declawed, any suggestions on fabric versus Ultra (manmade) Leather? Will the cat's claws penetrate the Ultra Leather??
 
Hi Judy,

Yes Cats claws will penetrate or scratch the surface ultra leather, leather and most anything else although they have not scratched the laminate flooring nor the Corian yet that we have seen.  Remember they are like a razor blade!!  VBG 

And NO the spell check did not work!  :-((
 
We let our cat roam free, even when under way.  He is not declawed, but one time he must have been irritated at something and put little pin holes in the back of the driver seat.  Not a real problem and he has not done it since and has been living in the coach for a year and a half.  He is an older cat.  Raising young ones might be more of a challenge regarding scratching.

We have a great way to keep our cat exercised.  We have one of those little red laser pens.  We discovered that he LOVES to chase the little red spot all over the coach.  Watching a 15 year old cat roar about the coach like a rocket is a most amazing sight, and keeps him very healthy.  He never tires of it.

Also, if anyone ever wants to see a cat roll over like a dog on command, he will be happy to give you a demo at QZ!  :D  He actually does it better than most dogs.  Our dog, on the other hand, does not know how to roll over nor does he care.
 
James Godward said:
Hi Judy,

Yes Cats claws will penetrate or scratch the surface ultra leather, leather and most anything else although they have not scratched the laminate flooring nor the Corian yet that we have seen.  Remember they are like a razor blade!!  VBG 

And NO the spell check did not work!  :-((
Izzy lets us clip his nails, so they're not *quite* as sharp as razor blades.  :)
 
Smoky said:
We let our cat roam free, even when under way.  He is not declawed, but one time he must have been irritated at something and put little pin holes in the back of the driver seat.  Not a real problem and he has not done it since and has been living in the coach for a year and a half.  He is an older cat.  Raising young ones might be more of a challenge regarding scratching.
Izzy is almost 11 -- I  don't think you can teach old cats new tricks.  :(

We're trying to decide which is a bigger problem: fabric or Ultra Leather. If just walking on Ultra Leather is going to result in pinholes, we're better off with fabric.

We have a great way to keep our cat exercised.  We have one of those little red laser pens.  We discovered that he LOVES to chase the little red spot all over the coach.  Watching a 15 year old cat roar about the coach like a rocket is a most amazing sight, and keeps him very healthy.  He never tires of it.
That sounds familiar -- perhaps you've mentioned that before?? Izzy would love that!!

Also, if anyone ever wants to see a cat roll over like a dog on command, he will be happy to give you a demo at QZ!   :D  He actually does it better than most dogs.  Our dog, on the other hand, does not know how to roll over nor does he care.
You mean the cat hasn't taught him?
 
Hi Judy,

Welcome to the forum. We travel with a cat and she is declawed. They will destroy any type of leather or imitation leather. Sometimes a scratching post will help but it's not totally reliable. Ours is free to roam static or underway. When we are traveling she is usually in my wife's lap for the duration. I imagine it might be safer for the cat to be in a cage underway but that cage would have to be secured in case of an accident.
 
Also, if anyone ever wants to see a cat roll over like a dog on command, he will be happy to give you a demo at QZ!  Cheesy  He actually does it better than most dogs.  Our dog, on the other hand, does not know how to roll over nor does he care.
Hercule, The Attack Cat, taught ME how to play throw and retrieve. One night while laying in bed watching t.v., he jumped up on the bed and dropped one of his plastic ball toys next to me. I tossed it out of the room, and he was back in a matter of seconds with it. It's a game we play often, and he learned a long time ago to place it right in my hand. Once, while asleep and obviously lying on my back snoring, he came up on the bed and dropped it right in my open mouth! After nearly choking, I must have laughed for 5 minutes straight! Either he wanted to play, or that was his none too subtle way of telling me my snoring was keeping him awake ;D He's a joy to have around, loves people, and even helps me drive - sits on my lap with his front paws on the steering wheel. I never know what he'll come up with next. 
 
I know from personal experience that Hercule is capable of surprises  ;D
 
Jim Dick said:
Hi Judy,

Welcome to the forum. We travel with a cat and she is declawed. They will destroy any type of leather or imitation leather. Sometimes a scratching post will help but it's not totally reliable. Ours is free to roam static or underway. When we are traveling she is usually in my wife's lap for the duration. I imagine it might be safer for the cat to be in a cage underway but that cage would have to be secured in case of an accident.

Hi, Jim!

I guess that should really be "Welcome back to the forum!! It's been awhile though . . . . Hope you and Pat have been well. We ended up not getting to CT this summer with any time to spare, so you didn't hear from us.

We didn't and won't declaw Izzy, so we have to live with the consequences. We're attempting to determine whether fabric or Ultra Leather would be a better choice. Fabric is more of an attraction to scratching, while Ultra Leather may be more "penetrable" by a cat simply walking on it. Someone on another forum said that his cat still has his very sharp rear claws, and they haven't penetrated the Ultra Leather. Of course, every cat is different in its scratching behavior, so it may be difficult to compare.

Thanks for your reply -- it's great to "see" you!
 
Our cat is an old lady, 18 years, and de-clawed.  She loves the motor home more than our stick house.  We usually leave her free during our travels except when we are going to be in and out of the coach.  During that time we keep her leashed (long leash) to the kitchen faucet.  It is in the center of the coach and gives her free roam of the entire interior.  Of course we have discovered that the path a cat takes when traveling through the interior is strange.  She can and does find ways to tangle her leash around, over and through everything possible.  So the leash is only useable for a short period of time.  If we are gone too long and she gets tangled up to much she really lets us know when we get home.  Without claws, we haven't had any problems with scratching.  She loves the ultra leather furniture.  So far she hasn't gone on the dash while we were driving, only when we are in campgrounds.  We wouldn't think of going on a trip without her.
 
Judy:

I am sure QZ will have plenty of those laser pens at great low prices!

Fabric is definitely more cat friendly.  The Admiral insisted that our sofa be changed from leather to fabric at the factory.  Turns out we never needed to do that, but we still like having a fabric sofa to break up the monotony of all ultra leather.

Karl:

I would believe anything you would tell me about Hercules.  He is a one in a million cat!

 
Howdy, Judy.
Glad to see you back here. How are Stu and you doing?  How is Izzy?

Oreo, our escape cat, can put her claws through just about anything. I have noticed that she used my leather(real stuff) navigator's chair as a scratching post recently. Darn thing has pin holes in it. And Oreo has a scratching ramp too!!!  I am going to buy a pseudo  sheepskin cover for that chair. UltraLeather will not survive a cat's claws. 

Oreo has a nifty cat carrier that she rides in when we are traveling in the car or the Wanderlodge. It is collapsible and stores very easily.

We are spending the winter in Hondo, TX.

Best regards,
Liz
 
Dean & Linda Stock said:
Our cat is an old lady, 18 years, and de-clawed.  She loves the motor home more than our stick house.  We usually leave her free during our travels except when we are going to be in and out of the coach.  During that time we keep her leashed (long leash) to the kitchen faucet.  It is in the center of the coach and gives her free roam of the entire interior.  Of course we have discovered that the path a cat takes when traveling through the interior is strange.  She can and does find ways to tangle her leash around, over and through everything possible.  So the leash is only useable for a short period of time.  If we are gone too long and she gets tangled up to much she really lets us know when we get home.  Without claws, we haven't had any problems with scratching.  She loves the ultra leather furniture.  So far she hasn't gone on the dash while we were driving, only when we are in campgrounds.  We wouldn't think of going on a trip without her.
Between 1996 and 2004, Izzy traveled with us. Don't you worry that your kitty could choke herself when she gets tangled up in the leash? Izzy "escaped" just once, but because he's an indoor cat, he was so busy trying to figure out what grass was all about that we were able to catch him quickly. But we had him "chipped" (computer chip "installed") just in case. We miss traveling with him, so we hope our new motorhome venture works out.
 
Smoky said:
Judy:

I am sure QZ will have plenty of those laser pens at great low prices!

Fabric is definitely more cat friendly.  The Admiral insisted that our sofa be changed from leather to fabric at the factory.  Turns out we never needed to do that, but we still like having a fabric sofa to break up the monotony of all ultra leather.
Hmmmm . . . if I could be sure we would see you when we're in Phoenix, I'd have you pick one up for us. I guess we'll just have to pay retail.  :)

Pehraps we better stick with fabric. We'll see . . .
 
Jackliz said:
Howdy, Judy.
Glad to see you back here. How are Stu and you doing?  How is Izzy?
I told Stu at lunch time that I was going to write to you -- and you beat me to the punch! We're doing okay. I still have some medical issues to address, but so far nothing serious. Izzy is doing well (sitting on the back of my chair as I type!). We continue to enjoy retirement -- but think we want to get back "on the road." Interestingly enough, we're looking into the Born Free 32' -- no slides. I know you can relate to that.  :) It's five-star rated by the RV Consumer Group -- I know not everyone feels that that's of utmost importance, but their ratings have served us well in the past. We'll see . . .

Oreo, our escape cat, can put her claws through just about anything. I have noticed that she used my leather(real stuff) navigator's chair as a scratching post recently. Darn thing has pin holes in it. And Oreo has a scratching ramp too!!!  I am going to buy a pseudo  sheepskin cover for that chair. UltraLeather will not survive a cat's claws. 
I was hoping to hear that cats don't scratch leather.  :( I'm sure glad I asked the question!
Oreo has a nifty cat carrier that she rides in when we are traveling in the car or the Wanderlodge. It is collapsible and stores very easily.
Coincidentally, I just saw collapsible crates in a catalog and suggested to Stu that we get one. We have a heavy metal one and always kept it in our various motorhomes. But a lighter-weight one would be nice. We also always traveled with a collapsible carrier in case of an emergency.
We are spending the winter in Hondo, TX.
And then what?

And how have both of you been? I hope all is well!!
 
Hi Judy,

OK, welcome back!!! I didn't recognize the photo and thought it was someone new. :) Glad you have returned. We're doing fine. Glad to be back in Florida but it was cool yesterday and will be today.
 
Jim Dick said:
Hi Judy,

OK, welcome back!!! I didn't recognize the photo and thought it was someone new. :) Glad you have returned. We're doing fine. Glad to be back in Florida but it was cool yesterday and will be today.
No problem. Actually, it's nice to be welcomed.  :)

Keep in mind that it's much colder in the northeast than in FL -- "cool" isn't as bad as "cold," especially when it's windy.  :(
 
We have traveled about 15,000 miles with our two cats and they much prefer to be in their carriers while underway.  They will even sleep in them at the campground - critters like nice little places in which to feel safe.

Our ultra-leather furniture has suffered from the young cat's bad manners.  Fortunately we ordered the sofa in fabric but even then it is a giant scratching fixture.  We use the double-sided sticky tape which really helps to keep the damage reduced to a tolerable level.

They are real good travelers about 99% of the time.  When we were on our way back from Alaska we were on the VERY bad stretch of road from Tok to Destruction Bay for several hours.  All of a sudden one of the cats started howling like somebody stepped on her tail, then the other one joined in for a two-part harmony.  They were saying, "stop this bus and LET ME OFF!"  We felt exactly the same way but we usually have better manners  ;D  Fortunately we were almost ready to stop for the day.
 
John Canfield said:
We have traveled about 15,000 miles with our two cats and they much prefer to be in their carriers while underway.  They will even sleep in them at the campground - critters like nice little places in which to feel safe.
We tried that with Izzy, and I think we would have killed him had he stayed in the carrier. (Well, maybe not "killed" him, but his meowing was intolerable.)

Our ultra-leather furniture has suffered from the young cat's bad manners.  Fortunately we ordered the sofa in fabric but even then it is a giant scratching fixture.  We use the double-sided sticky tape which really helps to keep the damage reduced to a tolerable level.
We just bought s ome double-sided sticky tape. I had been using clear packing tape but decide this might be better. Izzy doesn't scratch a lot, nor does he scratch hard, but eventually damage is done. Did the Ultra Leather furniture appeal to the cats' scratching tendencies or did their nails penetrate it when they simply walked on it?

They are real good travelers about 99% of the time.  When we were on our way back from Alaska we were on the VERY bad stretch of road from Tok to Destruction Bay for several hours.  All of a sudden one of the cats started howling like somebody stepped on her tail, then the other one joined in for a two-part harmony.  They were saying, "stop this bus and LET ME OFF!"  We felt exactly the same way but we usually have better manners  ;D  Fortunately we were almost ready to stop for the day.
Can't blame'em, huh?  :)
 
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